Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
SPANISH sources claim that Spain forced passengers without the proper visas for entry into the EU to be admitted after a flight diverted from Gibraltar to Malaga.
Around 130 passengers – including several nationals from Asian countries who did not possess Schengen visas – arrived at passport control last Sunday aboard the British Airways plane from Heathrow.
The Spanish border police controversially allowed them to enter so that they could travel by bus to Gibraltar on a day when Malaga airport was throbbing with heavy air traffic.
READ MORE Brits ‘barred’ from entering Spain ‘because of Brexit’ after their easyJet flight was diverted from Gibraltar to Malaga
Normaly, the Policia Nacional could grant visas on the spot, but because of the congestion and disruption caused by Storm Herminia it was decided not to do this.
The incident raised concerns about security, as it was not guaranteed that all passengers entered Gibraltar. Some could therefore have remained illegally in the Schengen area of the EU.
Last October, British passengers on a flight from London Gatwick (Gibraltar) to Malaga were told that they couldn’t leave the plane.
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Budget carrier says that only two passengers did not possess the proper documents to enter Spain. They were returned to the UK, and then transferred to another Gibraltar flight.
The captain of the ship had to abandon his landing in Gibraltar because of bad weather on Monday.
At the airport in Costa del Sol, British travellers were informed they could only debark if their residency was Spanish.
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EasyJet’s spokesperson at the time said: “Due thunderstorms in Gibraltar, we can confirm that a flight from London Gatwick was diverted to Malaga. Ground transport was then arranged to Gibraltar for passengers.”
“Two passengers aboard who did not possess the necessary documentation to enter Spain returned back to London and were transferred to the next available flight Gibraltar.”
